Teams: UC Davis at Saint Mary’s
Records: Aggies 2-3; Gaels 3-3
Where: McKeon Pavilion – Moraga, Calif.
When: Today at 7 p.m.
Who to watch: It’s known that the Aggies have a lot of weapons coming off the bench.
One of those is sophomore Samantha Meggison who was a key component to the Aggies’ 85-69 victory over the Gaels a season ago.
In that contest she was one of four Aggies to score in double figures and led the team with six rebounds.
Did you know? Last season, the Aggies had such a depleted roster that Meggison was one of only three Aggies to play in all 29 games. Sophomores Kasey Riecks and Lauren Juric were the other two.
Preview: The Aggies believe that there are two overriding factors that will make this season a success – depth and experience.
“As I’ve said before, we are so deep because are sophomores play like juniors,” said coach Sandy Simpson. “It’s going to take us a while to find groups of players that work well together in different situations. Sometimes the minutes will be there for a player, and sometimes they won’t but if we find the right combination, it will go a long ways towards helping us win.”
In last year’s matchup of the two teams, UC Davis took a lead into halftime and never looked back.
The Gaels would trail by as much as 23 points with just over two minutes left and would ultimately fall to the Aggies by a score of 85-69.
In that contest, the Gaels were led by Finland native Maija Lahde who posted game highs in points (19) and rebounds (11).
Fortunately for the Aggies, Lahde graduated last season so today’s main focus will be a 6-foot-4 Aussie by the name of Louella Tomlinson who blocked six shots against UC Davis a season ago.
As a result, look for Tomlinson’s matchup against Aggie forward Paige Mintun to be a clash between two workhorses down low.
The Aggies dominated the Gaels last season while playing shorthanded. Tonight, they will have the benefit of a full compliment of players.
After losing at the buzzer in overtime a week ago, the Aggies will look to rebound in today’s favorable matchup.
– Mark Ling
